Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market
Honey Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Icing
Honey Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (in stand mixer with paddle attachment if available). Mix in honey, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix into the batter until just blended. Scoop the batter into the cups evenly.
Cupcakes are ready when the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.
Honey Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup honey plus 2 TBSP
4-5 cups powdered sugar
milk as needed for thinning out frosting
PREPARATION
Cream together the butter and the honey for 2 minutes (in stand mixer with paddle attachment if available). Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar.
Start on low speed on the mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Use milk to thin out frosting to reach desired consistency.
Credit: romancingthebee.com
2014 Habitat Workshop
Wednesday, March 19, 6:00 – 8:30pm
Swiss Valley Nature Center
Cost: FREE
To pre-register please call 563.556.6745
This workshop is designed to help land owners be good stewards of the natural resources found on their property. Bill and Louise Johnson will be teaching a session about beekeeping at this workshop. There will also be sessions about habitat management practices, species inventories, timber stand improvement, ponds and erosion reduction and much more.
Hints for Cooking with Honey
For best results use recipes developed for using honey.
When you substitute honey for granulated sugar in a recipe:
1. Substitute honey for up to ½ of the sugar. With experimentation, honey can be substituted for all the sugar in some recipes.
2. Reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used in baked goods.
3. In baked goods, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Reduce oven temperature by 25° F to prevent over-browning.
For easy removal, measure honey in a cup you used for measuring oil or butter.
Store honey at room temperature. If honey crystallizes, remove the lid and place in a jar of warm water until crystals dissolve OR microwave one cup in a safe container at high for 2-3 minutes. Do not boil or scorch.
Honey is easy to substitute in many recipes that use other liquid sweeteners – example molasses, maple syrup.
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is hopeful.
It’s been a long winter. The sun breaks through the gray winter sky occasionally, but the snow and ice always seem to bring us back to harsh reality. Farmers’ Market gives us hope, however. Be sure to talk with our farmers about their plans for spring, what they’ll be planting, how they’re preparing for the season. They know spring is coming, and they’ll provide you with the hope we need to make it through the winter.
Johnson Honey Farm
It’s hard to believe, but Bill and Louise Johnson are even busier than their bees. They have 350 hives spread over six counties, and they’re hoping to expand to 500 this year in order to keep up with the demand for their delicious honey. Currently they are hand-planing the honey from the honeycombs, but they want to acquire some mechanical extraction equipment to streamline the process.
Bill and Louise have been keeping bees since 1991. Louise’s grandfather was a beekeeper, but Bill got involved with bees as a 4-H project for his grandson and it took off from there. Now they sell their honey and other products at farmers’ markets five days a week during the summer. They have two types of raw honey: basswood and wildflower, as well as comb honey, and 18 flavors of creamed honey. They also incorporate the honey and wax into several special products, such as candy, candles, and wax blocks.
The Johnsons are very involved in promoting beekeeping in our region. They are active with the American Beekeeping Association and have been on the board of the Iowa Honey Producers Association for 15 years. They teach a six-week beekeeping course at NICC every January and also work with the Iowa Honey Queen.
The extremely cold weather we’ve had this winter can be hard on bees, but Bill isn’t sure if there’s been a lot of injury yet because the deep snow has prevented him from checking the hives. We hope the bees are healthy so we can continue to enjoy their honey throughout the next year. Thank you for being such faithful supporters of the Winter Market, Bill and Louise!
How to Broil Steaks
Broiling is a great way to enjoy those O’Connell steaks, but it’s not as easy as putting the oven on “broil” and letting it go. Here are some tips for successful broiling:
– Select the right cut: tender cuts like Rib-eye steak, top loin, porterhouse or sirloin are usually the best broilers.
– Salt or no salt? Salting is not required; it’s up to your personal taste. If you do use salt, use a coarse salt like Kosher or sea salt – avoid table salt.
– Get the proper pan: Use a broiler pan – the kind with a grid where the fat from the meat can drain and won’t smoke. Cover the bottom of the broiler pan (not the grid) with tin foil for less mess. Don’t crowd. Give each steak its own space for even cooking and so you can easily flip it when it’s time. Place the beef at the top of the oven 2-4 inches from the flame.
– Timing is everything! Set a timer or watch the clock; otherwise you will end up with a hockey puck! The secret to great steak is to time it and flip once. Jot down the time it took to get the steak to the doneness you like for the next time.
Medium-rare: 6-8 minutes on each side for 1 1/2″ or 8-10 minutes for 1 3/4-2″
Medium: 7-10 minutes on each side for 1 1/2″ or 10-12 minutes for 1 3/4- 2″
Well: 10-13 minutes on each side for 1 1/2″ or 14-15 minutes for 1 3/4-2″
The steak needs about a minute less on the second side than the first. So, if you like it medium rare and flipped it at 7 on the first side, then it needs 6 minutes on the second side.
Then be sure to let the steak sit for 3 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to be absorbed and creates the most flavorful steak.
O’Connell Organic Acres
After college, Chris O’Connell was content with his life choices. He taught math at Cascade High School and like many teachers, worked outside the classroom during the summers. But for Chris, the farm work he did with his dad in the summer became increasingly more meaningful and attractive. Finally, about three years ago, he made the transition from full-time teacher to full-time farmer. He says the lifestyle suits him well, and apparently it suits his wife Amy, also. Amy had made a similar choice, shelving for the time being her BS in Equestrian Ed and MS in Ag Ed, to work on her family’s farm.
Chris farms with his father John and brother Kevin on the homestead near Bankston that has been in their family for over 150 years. The farm has been certified organic since 2002. They currently have about 100 head of grass-fed beef, and they also grow a diverse rotation of organic row crops and small grains to support their herd. They are currently converting some of their crop land to pasture as their beef production expands.
The most significant expansion for Chris and Amy this year was the birth of their son Waylon in October. Waylon will be the sixth generation to grow up on the O’Connell farm. He’s a cute little guy and you’ll often find him at market with his parents. Stop by their market stand for some high-quality meats, get some tips and recipes, and congratulate them on the new addition to their family.
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is a family affair.
Farming is usually a family tradition. Mothers and fathers pass along their traditions and land to their children. We often see that next generation at the farmers’ market, too, learning to help customers and meet the needs of our community. Make shopping at the Winter Market part of your family tradition. Your children will have a stronger connection to their community and learn where their foods comes from.
Blue Cheese Steak Topper
Stop by the Carr Valley Cheese stand to get some blue and goat cheeses for this topping that will go great with your O’Connell steaks. The combination of the beef flavor with the salty tartness of blue cheese really stands out. No wonder blue cheese is one of the most popular steak toppers. This recipe will make enough topping for four steaks:
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons soft goat cheese (chevre)
2 cloves garlic, minced
PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients and gently mix together until even, but not blended smooth. It should be coarse in texture.
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is an adventure.
We all know that we’re supposed to make a list before we go to the store so we don’t make unwise “impulse purchases.” But where’s the fun in that? Part of the joy of Farmers’ Market is discovering something unexpected and trying new things. Our local farmers have a lot of tricks up their sleeves and provide us with lots of tasty, unusual produce each week. Don’t be afraid to ask our farmers “what’s new?” and take a chance on something you haven’t tried before.
Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market 